Man delivers baby porcupine after mother was fatally struck by car

LISBON, Maine — Jared Buzzell was on his way to hunt for mushrooms and during his journey saw a car fatally strike a porcupine. When Buzzell stopped to check on the porcupine, he remembered his uncle telling him that a valuable mineral will form in its stomach, so he cut it open according to TV station WMTW.

What happened next was unexpected.

“I cut the sack open and out fell the porcupine. I cut the umbilical cord, put it in a hat,” Buzzell told WMTW. “Then I started massaging it and all kinds of stuff starting coming out of its lungs, so it started breathing.”

Now Buzzell is something of a porcupine dad for the time being. He said he’s taken it upon himself to look after the newborn critter until it can be given to animal rescue in a few days.

WMTW reports that Buzzell feeds the baby every two-to-three hours from his daughter’s toy baby bottle used for a doll. He told the TV station he was happy he remembered his uncle’s anecdote, as it helped save a porcupine life.